I’ve been obsessed with the Savannah Bananas for years. I’ve studied them the same way I’ve studied the cultures at Zappos, Southwest Airlines, and Chick-fil-A. Why? Because culture is everything. When I see a group of people intentional about the culture they’re building, I want to learn from it. I want to take what they’re doing and see how it can help us shape the culture we’re building at Beratung Advisors.
Through Jesse Cole’s books, through following him on social media, through watching how he lives it out, I’ve picked up lessons that have shaped me as a leader — and helped our company serve our clients better.
So when the Bananas came to Pittsburgh, my expectations were lofty. I finally had the chance to go to my first Banana Ball game. They grossly exceeded those expectations. Outside of the 2013 Pirates Wild Card game, it might be the best sporting event I’ve ever been to in my life. Sharing the experience with my wife and daughter — and getting to meet Jesse himself — made it unforgettable.
And as I sat there, I couldn’t help but watch like a student. Here are some of the leadership lessons that stuck with me:
Community
The Bananas are building something bigger than baseball. Jesse talks about a billion fans, and I get it now — because the whole night was about connection. Fans didn’t just watch; they were part of it. They belonged to something bigger because they were involved from start to finish. When there was a challenge, it wasn’t an umpire making the call — they brought out a fan to be the “challenge officiator.” Between innings, fans were invited onto the field for games, races, and skits. The community wasn’t built around the game — the game was built around the community.
Culture
Culture is everything, and it can never be taught. It’s always caught. Culture is how you act when nobody’s looking, and it’s learned by watching the people around you. Nobody trained the merch worker to be that joyful. Nobody gave a checklist to the usher or the food stand worker who was only there for the Pittsburgh stop. Yet every single one of them lived out Fans First. Because they caught it. And the fans caught it too. You saw people decked out in full yellow suits, banana hats, face paint — not because anyone told them to, but because they wanted to belong to it.
Always tie back to the vision
Jesse tied everything back to the vision. Over and over again. At the end of the game, the whole stadium chanted “1-2-3 Fans First!” At the afterparty, he pulled everyone into a circle, locked arms, and said, “We’re going to sing Stand By Me because we are together, we are here for you, the fans.” He never missed a chance to repeat it, reinforce it, explain it. That’s how vision sticks.
Corny works
So much of it is corny. Jesse’s yellow tuxedo. Banana beer. Yellow bases. Banana-shaped baseballs. The “first banana toss” instead of the first pitch. But corny works. It’s what makes the experience unforgettable. I’ve been to plenty of baseball games, and I couldn’t recall half the details. This I’ll remember forever.
Always be branding
They never missed a chance to make bananas part of it. Their nonprofit Bananas Foster. Banana beer. Yellow bases and baseballs. The first banana toss. Every piece tied back to the brand. Because it connected with their culture and vision, it worked.
Inspire others
This one really hit me. Jesse and Emily are foster parents, and they use their platform to inspire others. At one point, Emily walked out onto the field and talked about Bananas Foster. She introduced a foster family and shared their story right there in front of everyone. It wasn’t a performance moment. It was a heart moment. And I’m sure there were people in the stands who walked away thinking about foster care for the first time. That’s impact.
No secret sauce
A lot of leaders act like they’ve got some secret playbook they don’t want anyone else to see. Not Jesse. He shares it all. He’s written it down, he talks about it in interviews, he puts it out there. You could have Julia Child’s cookbook, but that doesn’t make you Julia Child. The Bananas’ “secret sauce” isn’t the idea — it’s the doing. It’s the passion. It’s the joy. They could be playing football or squash, and it wouldn’t matter. The product isn’t the sport. The product is the experience and the joy of the people delivering it.
Collaboration
One moment that stood out was the 50/50 raffle. It didn’t just go to Bananas Foster. It also supported Pirates Charities. That’s collaboration. Too many businesses only think about themselves. The Bananas showed what happens when you partner with others — everybody wins bigger.
Unique abilities
Watching the night unfold, I kept noticing how everyone was in their unique ability. Jesse was everywhere — leading the parade, emceeing the game, closing the block party. His energy was contagious. Emily was everywhere too — clipboard and walkie-talkie in hand, making sure all the moving parts came together. The band tailgating outside, the dancers in the aisles, the players on the field — everyone had their lane, and they were thriving in it. They were designed by God for that role, and you could see the joy. No one person could have created that night. It worked because everyone, together, was all in on Fans First.
Have fun
Everywhere you looked, people were smiling and laughing. Fun wasn’t a side note — it was the fuel. When people are having fun, they’re more productive, more engaged, more connected. Gallup says the number one indicator of employee engagement is, “Do I have a best friend at work?” Watching the Bananas, you knew every person on that team had best friends at work. They were doing life together. And the fun spilled out onto the fans.
Lead by joining in
The night ended with Jesse pulling everyone together, locking arms, and leading us in singing Stand By Me. What stood out most is he didn’t do it from a stage or with a microphone standing above the crowd — he literally joined the fans. He stepped in, locked arms, and became part of the circle. You could see it on his face — pure joy. He wanted to be there with the fans. That’s what inspires him. That’s what fires him up. A lot of leaders talk the talk, but Jesse jumped right in with the people.
That’s the biggest lesson I caught from him. Culture isn’t taught — it’s caught. And what I caught last night is that great leaders don’t stand apart from their people, they join them. They live it, shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm.